UVa-Wise professors have embraced technology to keep snowbound students from falling behind in coursework after treacherous weather shuttered the College for two weeks in mid February.

As a result, a snow day was no longer a day off for many students. Assignments were delivered via email, lectures were posted on Moodle, tests were given, and some professors received smartphone photographs of completed work from students who lost electricity or Internet service during the snowstorm.

Some turned to social media, including Facebook and YouTube, to bring lectures to students.

UVa-Wise maintenance and grounds crews had our campus in decent shape by Wednesday afternoon, but today’s additional snowfall has forced us to remain closed on Friday. Wise County remains under a state of emergency, which they will reevaluateover the weekend.

Barring additional weather-related issues, UVa-Wise will reopen on Monday, March 2,operating on a regular schedule. Hopefully this notification along with the projected change in weather will allow students away from campus to return safely on Sunday.

The curator of the Vatican’s meteorite collection in Castel Gandolfo, Rome, will visit The University of Virginia’s College at Wise on March 5 to discuss whether or not he would baptize and extraterrestrial.

Spoiler alert. Br. Guy Consolmagno says he would, as long as she asks.

The astronomer will explain his stance when he lectures at 7 p.m. in the David J. Prior Convocation Center. The focus of the lecture is simply that a person of faith can embrace science, and that science does not undermine faith. He co-penned a book on the topic as well.

The talk is part of the Colgate Darden Lecture Series, and the public is invited.

Consolmagno was born in 1952 in Detroit, Michigan. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in 1974 and Master of Science in 1975 in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his PhD in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona in 1978. From 1978-80 he was a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at the Harvard College Observatory, and from 1980-1983 continued as postdoc and lecturer at MIT.

Winter certainly has a tight grip on our campus and our region as February draws to an end. The heavy snowfall and the thick ice have created treacherous situations throughout Wise County and Southwest Virginia.

Many of you are still snowbound and others are attempting to free vehicles out of icy snow mounds. While conditions have improved on campus, much work remains to be completed before we can return to normal operation. Our hardworking maintenance and grounds crews deserve our gratitude.

Dear students, faculty and staff,The severe weather over the past week has resulted in closure of our campus for several days, and the potential for more winter storms has created the possibility that additional academic time will be missed. In addition to the safety of our campus, your education is of prime concern for us at UVa-Wise. Students, we know you and our faculty are concerned about the missed class time. We want to reassure you that faculty will work with you to make up the missed lessons. HOWEVER, if future weather issues prompt closures, we may have to look at other ways to make up the classroom time, including additional days.

Our crews are working hard to remove the snow and ice from roads, sidewalks and parking lots on campus. We are asking people to only come to campus if absolutely necessary during this time so our crews can continue the snow removal work without having vehicles in the way. For those who must come to campus, please park at the David J. Prior Convocation Center. We know this is inconvenient, but it will speed up the snow removal process.